Beauty and the Beast (TV)

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Name: Beauty and the Beast
Abbreviation(s): BatB, B&B
Creator: Ron Koslow
Date(s): 1987-1990
Medium: television
Country of Origin: United States
External Links: IMDB, wikipedia
Catherine and Vincent on the show
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Contents

Beauty and the Beast was a fantasy television series that ran on CBS from 1987 until 1990. The series offered an updated retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast fairy tale: the romance between Catherine, a savvy assistant DA in New York, (Beauty) and Vincent, a lion-man (Beast) who lives in a secret Utopian community of social outcasts beneath New York City.

one of many cartoons by B&B artist, P.S. Nim, poking fun at the Park culvert and various plots

Because the cast changed in season 3, when Catherine died and a new character, Diana, became the female lead, investigating Catherine's murder, there is a split between what is referred to in the fandom as "Classic Beauty and the Beast", i.e. stories with Vincent and Catherine (either set in the first two seasons or denialfic, specifically known as "She's Not Dead" or SND in the fandom), and S3 stories with Diana. The latter however is much less popular in fandom, both because the character death destroyed the main ship of Vincent/Catherine, but also because season 3 had only twelve episodes, so there was not time for the new configuration to grow on anyone. Also the network tried to attract the coveted "male viewer" so the tone had changed in S3 as well.

a Beauty and the Beast t-shirt, image of naked Vincent in chains and inscribed "Victim of CBS Beast Abuse". This was the art for Abode of the Beast, artist: Marilyn Cole

The fan community was very proactive, writing and publishing fanzines, attending conventions, and, in the early days of online communication, creating mailing lists and bulletin boards.[1] In addition, the fandom has produced an extensive body of fanart (see Journeys (Beauty and the Beast calendar) for an overview of artists from the early 1990s). For a more comprehensive overview of fan writers and artists written by Jo Ann Baca in 2008, go here.

Websites

Beauty and the Beast fan interactions originally began offline and fannish activities and fan fiction were circulated in fanzines and newsletters. Gatherings were in person at conventions or via local fan clubs. Some of the activity has been archived online (see below). As fans moved into the Internet in the early 1990s, there was a gradual shift to online interactions; however fanzines and conventions continue to be produced up to the present. Some fan clubs are still active.

Snapshot of CABB
Screenshot of Chandler's B&B website

Primarily A Het and Gen Fandom

cover of the zine, Classic Beauty and the Beast

Because the TV show was firmly rooted in traditional romance storylines, fan fiction has been and remains primarily gen and het. A small smattering of slash stories have been written. It is unclear if any slash fanzines were ever printed. Most slash can be found in online multi-fandom archives. The fact that no slash appears in any of the Beauty and the Beast fan fiction archives or fanzines might indicate that the fandom was - and is - not receptive to slash fiction or slash writers. Others have said that it is not that the fandom is not receptive to slash fiction, but rather that few fans want to read (or write) about non-canon pairings of any sort, given the strong character relationships in the show. The controversy over Vincent/Diana third season pairing stories lends this argument some weight.

In fact, even het stories that push the traditional romance narrative have not been well received by the fandom. (See the Black Cover fanzine). Likewise, stories that challenge the reality of the show have disturbed and upset readers (See "The Bridge, published in Kaleidoscope (Beauty and the Beast zine) #1. It is a story that presents Vincent and the Tunnels below as a hallucination that Catherine creates in order to cope with the trauma of her assault. A copy can be found here. The author discusses fans reactions to her story, which included accusations that she "destroyed the dream" here).

Places to find slash fiction:

Zines

cover of the zine, All That Lights Upon Us

Fanworks in the Beauty and the Beast fandom are almost one hundred percent het (much of it erotic, explicit and otherwise) and primarily Vincent/Catherine, with some Vincent/Diana, and its fanzines reflect these two pairings.

  • The influential zines?

In 2011, during the relaunch of the Crystal Rose Lending Library, a fanzine lending library, the new librarians JoAnna Becca and Carol W attempted to identify the first Beauty and the Beast fanzine: "...but the answer wasn't clear-cut. Several zines were published in 1988, some with the month noted, most without. It was impossible to ascertain which zine was the absolute first." Instead they suggested fans start with a series of the earliest fanzines, all published in 1988.[3]

Go here for a list of Beauty and the Beast fanzines on Fanlore (for a complete list see Category:Beauty and the Beast Zines. For other Beauty and the Beast fanzine listings see the Qfer, The Beauty & the Beast Buyer's Guide to Fanzines and The Beauty & the Beast Fictionzine Database.

Conventions

flyer for Distant Shore II convention held in Los Angeles, CA (2000)

Numerous conventions have been held over the years, both commercial and fan-organized. The first commercial convention was held in 1988 in Los Angeles, with several of the actors in attendance. The first fan-run convention was TunnelCon held in 1990 in Las Vegas, NV. In 2007, the fandom celebrated its 20th anniversary of the TV show at A Without Limits, a convention held in Culver City, CA (convention splashscreen is archived here). A convention was held held in 2010 in San Diego, CA and a promotional video was created to advertise the convention. [4]. The 2011 convention was held in New Orleans and on the 25th anniversary of the show, the 2012 convention will be held in Dallas, Texas with a proposed mirror convention held in the UK.

General Convention Info:

Ad for 2010 B&B Convention

Individual Conventions:

Fan Vids

Beauty and the Beast fanvids on videocassette, originally sold to raise funds for a charity

Like many fandoms of the 1990s, Beauty and the Beast has a songvid community. However, like the rest of the fandom, their vid creators rarely interact with the rest of media fandom and little is known about their works or vid traditions. Fan vids have been a main feauture the annual fan run conventions for decades. More recent vidders showcase their vids on Youtube or their own websites.


Awards

In the early 1990s, the fandom offered annual awards to fanzine writers, artists and publishers: Beauty and the Beast Fan Quality Awards. Voting was open to all of fandom and the awards were announced at various conventions. It is unclear whether awards are still being offered for either print or online fiction.

Annual Winterfest

Winterfest

Every year, fans still gather virtually to celebrate a week long "Winterfest" (a holiday celebrated on the show by the dwellers who lived beneath New York City).The site is offered in 4 languages.[6] During the festival, art and fan fiction is shared. It is organized by the Wintercandlemakers Committee, a group of fans made up of members from across the world.[7]

"The world above us is cold and gray; summer, a distant memory. Our world too has known its winters, so each year we begin this feast in darkness, as our world began in darkness.
Long before the city above us raised its towers to the sky, men sought shelter in these caverns. In those days these tunnels were dark places, and those who dwelt here dwelt in fear and isolation.
This was a land of lost hope, of twisted dreams, a land of despair, where the sounds of footsteps coming down a tunnel were the sounds of terror. Where men reached for knives and rocks and worse at the sound of other men's voices.
At last a few people learned to put aside their fear. And we began to trust each other, to help each other. Each of us grew stronger - those who took the help and those who gave it.
We are all part of one another: one family, one community. Sometimes we forget this, and so we meet here each year to give thanks to those who have helped us and to remember:
Even the greatest darkness is nothing, so long as we share the light. (Opening Words of Winterfest)[8]

Archives of previous Winterfests (2004-2008) can be found here

Other Resources

Entrance To BBTV Yahoo Mailing List by Sandy Chandler

References

  1. ↑ Bluebird Bulletin Board Archives.
  2. ↑ WayBack Archive link to The Complete Kingdom of Slash.
  3. ↑ The Crystal Rose Lending Library: Open once again!, accessed October 1, 2011.
  4. ↑ Promo vid for the 2010 Beauty and the Beast convention
  5. ↑ Beauty and the Beast Convention History WebCite, accessed Feb 2, 2011.
  6. ↑ Entry to the Winterfest Great Hall website.
  7. ↑ 2009 Winterfest FAQ.
  8. ↑ Opening Words of Winterfest.
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